


Heart Of Stone

by Thatcherlupin



Category: Greek and Roman Mythology
Genre: Alternate Universe - Greek Mythology, F/F, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Female Character, LGBTQ Themes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-04
Updated: 2018-12-04
Packaged: 2019-09-07 04:25:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16847092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thatcherlupin/pseuds/Thatcherlupin
Summary: A beautiful young woman holds a horrible curse. Medusa lives alone, isolated from a world that's labeled her a monster. Hunters come from all over the world seeking to take her life, all of which have failed. She never wanted to live like this. A lonely life is never one that she asked for, but when Andromeda stumbles on her doorstep her outlook is flipped. Could anyone learn to love someone like her?





	1. I

She was unbelievably beautiful, almost, ethereal. Soft features adorned her, an oval shaped face bearing full lips soft enough to kiss, untouchable as they were; even her eyes, though no one had seen them completely, were a warm and welcoming amber. She resided in a small house adorned with flowers and shrubs, as well as a marble fountain on the outside of the property. She was mostly not what the rumors said; she didn't have snakes for hair (although her pet snake Draco sat atop her head frequently) and she certainly was not vindictive by any means. Despite her efforts to end the lies, legends that spread the world had left Medusa expelled into isolation from any of the other humans. She was never welcome with her other sisters, who's immortality placed them in a seat of superiority next to their mortal sibling, so the young woman lived alone. The rumors of her vindictive and malicious behavior had never been true, for Medusa's curse was never one she appreciated. She was, in reality, a very caring person, however the curses she attained at birth kept anyone but those hunting her head at a far distance from her home. In addition to the flowers that were carefully placed on the land, statues of all kinds of living things were scattered around the hillside. Each statue, though entirely different from one another, shared one common feature: every sculpture held a look of terror on its face. From birth Medusa held the curse that anyone she gazed upon immediately turned to stone. In the beginning she would destroy them, the statues, it caused her great pain to see the damage she caused. Hunters would come from all around to bring about the woman's demise, and the more hunters she defeated, the further the rumors spread, until Medusa could no longer keep up with the removal of the stone figures. So there they all sat, a warning sign and reminder to anyone who ventured out to her home.

Medusa, at the rather young age of 28, was a forcibly introverted person. Mostly for her own well being and safety, she stayed within the confines of her home. She would never venture out towards the towns, however she found herself frequently taking walks through the forest sketching the flowers and trees she came across. She wished very much to sketch a living, breathing thing, but for reasons transparent, she was unable to do so. Additionally, she took great joy in reading. Abiding by her rule of not going into the cities, she was limited on reading material, however, the house had a small library in the basement, abandoned by the previous owners. The room contained many philosophy and psychology books, as well as a multitude of romance novels, and a few stories that told of adventure. She took interest in the psychology books, being about to learn about human behavior made her feel a little less lonely, but her favorites to read were always the large novels. Stories where she was whisked away to far off places, sometimes with friends, sometimes with a love interest, but never alone. Books were the young woman's companion, and she was grateful for it. She spent most of her days sketching or reading. If needed, she would tend to the flowers in the yard, or gather fruits and vegetables to eat later on. She was fine the way she was, but never fully happy. She wished for someone to keep her company, though she knew it impossible. She knew she was destructive, and who would love a monster like her?


	2. II

Her eyes opened to a warmly lit room. The morning sunlight slipped in through the thin curtains, casting a dim light on the cotton sheets. The young woman stretched, yawned, and slowly rolled herself out of bed. As Medusa cooked herself breakfast, the bold smell of coffee filled the kitchen and the crackling of bacon on the stove made her stomach growl. On warmer days she often enjoyed her meals outdoors; sometimes in the meadow behind her home, sometimes in the garden she meticulously looks after. Today, she decided, she would eat in the garden, because in the warm summer month of June she particularly enjoyed the morning glories that sprung up around her. She had set the table, and even took the time to put some flowers in a vase, placing them as a centerpiece. Just as she was about to sit down, a bang on the door resonated throughout the house. The young woman initially froze at the sound of danger, realized what was happening, and sighed sadly. Bounty hunters and thrill seekers often came to her home, less now since the tales of other's fates spread around, but nonetheless they came. The banging on the door continued until she reached the front hall, unlocked the lock, and opened the door a crack.

Three men twice her size stood on her stone walkway. Covered head to toe in weaponry ranging from crossbows to knives to swords. The blonde haired one standing in the front had his arms crossed, while the other two stood a step behind. The leftmost man wielded a broadsword, freshly polished, while the other carried a smaller looking sword and a newly shined shield. The woman smirked.

"Smart of you to polish those, boys," She let out a chuckle, "It makes it awful hard to look at you if you see me through those mirrors." The three simply grunted in agreement. "Well," Medusa slipped off her sweater to reveal a light tank top, "shall I come out there or is there another place you'd like to end this debacle at?" The three of them looked at each other, surprised at the woman's calmness in the matter. She'd gone through this hundreds of times, it's nothing new. The men stood there with blank expressions; it really was astounding that they came all this way without any plan once they arrived. She sighed.

"You all are certainly an intelligent group. I'll be finishing my breakfast in the back, if you can get your brain cells to connect come pay me a visit, yeah?" Medusa smiled, turned, closed the door, and padded back to her patio. The three men took fifteen minutes to gather themselves and find her in the backyard. Apparently the young woman has already worn out the sharpest knives in the drawer and was left with the dumber people the human race had to offer. The blonde one that was standing in front before burst through the brush first, covered in thorns, the two other men trailing behind him. The human race was truly a confusing group. The blonde, and biggest of the three drew a gladius sword and ran towards Medusa. She reacted quickly and by the time the man brought down the weapon on her head, she had collided a similar sized longsword blade to blade with his weapon. Not many people cared to think of Medusa's fighting skill and it was rather bothersome to her, for she was rather good at it. She ducked under the largest man's arms and kicked him in the small of his back, forcing him to fall to his knees. By now, the two smaller men had realized what was happening and charged at Medusa from both directions. You see, she didn't get many visitors, so when she did, she liked to entertain herself with a friendly fight. From both sides of her peripheral vision she watched the men close in on her, until the very last second she stepped back, disappeared into the bushes, and watched them collide into one another. Three men, now groaning in the miniscule amount of pain she'd put them in so far, stood back to back, checking the reflections of their swords and shields for any sign of the amber eyed woman. She chuckled to herself, she could practically see them tremble. Ten minutes and the small woman brought three 200 pound men to a shivering cluster of fear. She snuck through the narrow trails she had carved out in her garden to find her way back to the house. She retrieved a small dagger as well as a handful of throwing knives (Medusa was quite the knife collector). Glancing out the window she could see the three men still peering into their reflective weaponry. The young woman made her way back through the garden paths until she was in the perfect spot. Through one eye, she made her aim and whipped a knife at the smaller dark haired man. A cry of pain erupted, though she didn't stay long enough to see it. She had taken off towards the men, and in one swift motion, leapt off the ground completely clearing the tallest man's head by a margin, and while turning to face them once again, let another knife fly from her hand and embed itself into the arm of the second smallest man. Finally, once the largest was singled out, she drew two more knives. Sprinting to him at full speed, the young woman let the blades make their way into his shoulders. He fell to his knees with a loud thud that could have shook the house. Medusa maintained her current speed, dropped to her knees and, sliding by the man, allowed her dagger to make one deep cut along his thigh. The small woman stood tall next to the three men who now occupied the concrete floor, as well as a small pool of blood. They let out a series of groans and whimpers as she strut towards them. First the smallest of the two. She grabbed him by the cheeks roughly, and stared him straight in the face. Her eyes began to glow with a warm yellow light. Fear filled the young man's eyes as he knew what was happening. It began at the top of his head and the ends of his toes. Stone crept up his arms, crackling as it took the place of his flesh, until it finally overtook his heart. She moved to the other man and did the same, saving the blonde haired one last. As she walked over to him something struck her as odd. This man was brought to his knees by her, yet he held this look of superiority in his eyes like he somehow had the upper hand. She gently took hold of his chin and studied him a moment. His look of defiance in the face of his death intrigued her. She looked him up and down once more.

"Don't worry," she said in a whisper, "this will only hurt a lot." As she emphasized the ending "t", her eyes began to glow once more. She heard the familiar sound of body turning stone, and watched the color drain from the large man's eyes as they went from a sky blue, to a blank slate grey. Finally she released his chin which was now statue, cool to the touch.

Medusa, slightly winded from her assault, made her way into the kitchen to retrieve a glass of water. While she waited for the cup to fill, she glanced out her window. Horses stood grazing in the front lawn. She assumed they belonged to the men who paid her a visit, and made a mental note to release them later on. Letting out a huff of air, she brought the cup to her lips. After polishing off the glass of water, Medusa turned to collect her breakfast dishes from the back garden. Just as she was leaving the kitchen, she stopped. She could hear the slightest sound of tapping on her front door. Slowly, the young woman turned around. Through the window on the door, she could see a woman not much smaller than she was standing on her step, terrified.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope y'all enjoyed!


	3. III

What do you do when a woman shows up at your doorstep terrified? Most people would welcome her in, find her a blanket and something to eat, right? This would be true for most, however Medusa, a very isolated person, never had the opportunity to welcome someone into her home. The only visitors she ever received were, well, not the welcome type. Pacing her room, Medusa rolled through the scenarios through her head. Initially she assumed the timid woman was a setup, something to get her to soften up and open the door. However, there were three large statues of what were previously men that told her whatever threat was at her house was gone. How else could this little woman have gotten to the doorstep, if not on the horses provided by the intruders? She glanced out the window again. Her new visitor seemed, off, like she had minimal sense of direction and looked very lost. She looked innocent enough, and frankly, if Medusa could take down those three men all at once, she could handle the 110 pound woman wandering around her front yard aimlessly. Cracking the door a smidge, Medusa poked her head out to catch her visitor's attention.

"Uhm, hello, I-" immediately the smaller woman whipped her head towards Medusa, and it became clear as to why she was wandering aimlessly. Her eyes were a slate grey. She was blind. Understanding the situation now, Medusa took down the tough guy front she puts up. She slowly approached the woman, who had sat herself cross legged in the soft grass. Medusa plopped down, unsure of what to do with herself.

"Do you-" She let out a huff of air, "Do you need some help?" The smaller woman once again turned her head in the direction of Medusa's voice. She furrowed her eyebrows before speaking.

"I, I think my husband is here? I am not sure actually. He doesn't tell me much." Medusa frowned. She wasn't 100% sure on the subject, but had a good feeling that she just killed this woman's husband. Oops. Still unsure of what to do, the Medusa took a leap of faith.

"Would you like to come inside?" She held her breath, waiting for a response. The timid woman, seeming a bit more relaxed now, smiled.

"That sounds lovely!" Considering she was the counterpart to the men who just attacked her, Medusa, surprisingly, found her new friend incredibly polite. The two stood up, and Medusa took the hand of her visitor, leading her towards the front door.

Both women, now safely inside the house, sat down at Medusa's dining room table. Neither of them were really sure what to say to one another, the blind woman because she was unsure of where she was, and Medusa because, well, she might have just killed this woman's husband. Finally Medusa broke the silence.

"Would you, um, like a cup of tea?" The larger woman tripped over her words, but somehow choked out a sentence. A smile came across the blind woman's face again.

"Please!" Relieved that the blind woman didn't despise her yet, Medusa happily walked into the kitchen to boil a pot of water.

"I don't think I ever asked your name." Medusa called from the kitchen. She was a bit more relaxed now that she knew the blind woman was not a threat.

"Andromeda!" She called back, rather cheerily. For someone who had almost no idea where she was, she was very chipper. Medusa smiled, the woman's name reminded her of the stars. Medusa spent countless hours with her nose in astronomy books during the day, and at night she laid in her garden to try and find as many constellations as she could. The stars told her stories in a different way that books did. She took great joy in retelling the stories to herself when the sky was dark, and occasionally Medusa would connect the stars to make her own stories. Her own adventures to go on. She was isolated from humanity, that was true, but she was never really alone. Every night the sun would set and every night, the stars were there to greet Medusa like an old friend. They made her feel safe, it was comforting to look up and see how they wrapped around her like a heavy blanket. Even on cloudy nights she would sit outside and enjoy the warm summer weather, keeping in mind that there were stars behind those clouds keeping her company, watching out for her.

Medusa snapped out of her daze as the teapot began to let out a high pitched whistle letting her know the water was boiling. She poured two cups of water, and opening her cabinet, extracted the jar of dried chamomile. It occurred to her once again that she had a guest, and was unsure what sort of tea she enjoyed. Ultimately, Medusa simply gathered an assortment of jars in her arms and made her way back to the dining room table where Andromeda sat.

"I-I wasn't sure what you liked so I grabbed, well, everything I suppose." Medusa laughed at how silly she seemed in the moment, and her cheeks turned a light shade of pink. Andromeda began to chuckle a bit as well, smiled, and said,

"Thank you, black tea is my favorite if you don't mind fixing me a cup." Medusa smiled and began to spoon the tea into a teabag. She looked up at her new friend, handing her the mug, and remembering all the questions she previously had. She awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck, unsure of how to ask what she needed answers to.

"So, uhm," Medusa began to stutter, "D-did you come here with someone? Your husband maybe?" Andromeda flinched slightly at the mention of the word husband. It was almost unnoticeable, but Medusa caught it nonetheless. Andromeda cleared her throat.

"Yes, I arrived with Dru." She seemed timid again, almost smaller than before. Medusa was by no means experienced, or good at reading people, but it was clear that her guest was not fond of her husband. Andromeda sighed quietly, "Is, is he here? I haven't heard him in a while." Medusa held her breath. She had to tell her eventually, but Medusa's version of damage control was destroying a statue, not comforting a stranger who wandered into her home. Suddenly Andromeda gasped,

"Oh my, I never asked for your name, I'm sorry!" Medusa let out her breath, relieved to get out of the topic for the time being.

"Medusa." She smiled softly. Andromeda's expression changed. She suddenly had such a mix of emotions on her face. Medusa, confused, furrowed her brow. Andromeda inhaled sharply,

"You're, uhm, Dru, he talked about you on the ride here, the rumors at least." Medusa frowned, expecting the woman to flee soon, she prepared herself for the onslaught of insults. Andromeda, who was once again in her state of timidness, began to speak, "Were they in here already? Did you..." She stopped talking and held her breath. Medusa, prepared for the worst, decided to tell her everything from the beginning.

"They came to my door with weapons," The brown eyed woman sighed, "I couldn't do anything but fight, it was self defense." Andromeda turned her head in Medusa's direction

"So Dru and his friends, they're..."

"Turned to stone, dead." Medusa waited for the crying, maybe some screaming, but to her surprise, Andromeda let out a huff of air, almost like she was releasing stress. She lifted her head up.

"Okay," She took a sip of tea, "So why not get rid of me then?" Medusa tilted her head in confusion, and then realized what the smaller woman meant.

"I'm not what those rumors say!" Medusa blurted out, maybe a little too loud. She took a deep breath and began again, "I don't enjoy hurting others. I was cursed at a very young age. Whoever I make eye contact with turns to stone no matter whether I want them to or not. This is the only truth to the rumors you hear about me, though. I don't have snakes for hair, and I most certainly don't want to hurt anyone." Medusa put her head in her hands, she was almost certain that she ruined this. Andromeda inhaled,

"Okay." She gave a small smile to Medusa, and took another sip of her drink. Medusa, more confused than she had been all afternoon, looked up from between her fingers.

"What?" Andromeda continued to drink without missing a beat.

"Hm?"

"You haven't left or, I don't know, screamed."

"Well," Andromeda put down her teacup, "if you wanted me gone you probably would have done it by now, so you have no reason to lie to me." Medusa kneaded her hands together on the table, still shocked at the calmness of her friend.

"If you need somewhere to stay..." Medusa trailed off, hoping Andromeda understood what she was getting at. Andromeda smiled,

"I would be happy to, if you'll have me." Medusa grinned ear to ear.

"Of course."


End file.
